basketball

With all the stats and analysis getting batted around, you could be forgiven for thinking that modern sport is not about the grand battles between opposing players and teams but rather an elaborate exercise in data modelling. An entire industry is forming around predictions and tracking in sports, on the one hand to understand and on the other to compete better. Now Disney Research has released two new studies that help both of these along. One study analyzed soccer player and ball movement patterns to detect and visualize team formations, while the other built models that could accurately predict whether a basketball player will pass or shoot in a given game situation. Read More

In the same way that car tires are meant to be kept at a precise air pressure, balls made for organized sports are likewise designed to be used at a specific hardness. That's why the TorrX was invented. It's a portable electric pump, that automatically inflates or deflates a ball in order to reach a given pressure. Read More

Shot statistics and analysis can reveal a treasure trove of useful information about a basketballer's game. But those plying their trade in lower leagues and pickup games aren't likely to have access to such data (overbearing parents notwithstanding). ShotTracker is a system that relies on wearable technology to track your shooting success, providing insights into your strengths and the areas in need of improvement. Read More

LEDs are being phased into use everywhere from living rooms to offices to car headlights to street-lighting. Whilst these uses are practical, for something a little more exciting we can look to Nike. Its House of Mamba basketball court uses an LED surface for graphics, video and player-tracking. Read More

Tracking shooting success from different areas on the basketball court can provide valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of a player, though it usually involves dedicated statisticians to collect and monitor the data. Looking to extend the benefits of these analytics beyond the professional arena is sporting goods manufacturer Wilson, who has announced its Smart Basketball designed to offer detailed feedback on training performance. Read More

When you combine sports with technology, you can end up with some serious improvements to the game. The NBA and Stats LLC is rolling out the SportVU motion tracking system, which uses six cameras to collect various types of data for the purpose of statistic tracking. Read More

Although shooting baskets is an important part of basketball training in and of itself, it would certainly be helpful to know how many of your shots actually result in the ball going through the hoop – is your success rate increasing or dropping, and if so, by how much? The Hoop Tracker system is designed to let you know. Read More

Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur and outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, has awarded Southern Methodist University (SMU) Associate Professor Peter G. Weyand a grant of over US$100,000 to carry out an 18-month biomechanics study of flopping on the basketball court. The study is aimed at determining if video or other records of the on court action can be used to distinguish between a player going down as a result of a collision or whether they are taking a dive. Read More

"Practice makes perfect." It's an the old expression that InfoMotion is aiming to build on with some new tech. The 94Fifty practice basketball uses six built-in sensors to give players an array of feedback data and help identify what parts of their game they need to work on the most. Read More

Under Armour has a new basketball shoe that looks rather odd, but offers some useful functionality for basketball players. This sneaker, called the UA Charge, offers the feel and flexibility of a low-top sneaker with the ankle support of a high-top thanks to the top of the shoe functioning like an ankle brace. Read More